The Ultimate Space Race Quiz

The race for space between the United States and the Soviets was more than just another battle in the Cold War — it was a race for the cosmos, a quest for greater knowledge and understanding of the world beyond our planet. Take our quiz to test your knowledge about the great space race!

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Question 1 of 30

What year did the space race kick off, as both sides announced plans to launch satellites into orbit?

1945

1955

Both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. announced plans to launch space satellites in the summer of 1955, kicking off a space race that would last for decades.

1965

Question 2 of 30

Which side launched the first artificial satellite into space?

U.S.

U.S.S.R.

The U.S.S.R. won the first round of the space race when it launched the satellite Sputnik into orbit in October 1957.

Question 3 of 30

What does "Sputnik" mean?

traveler

Sputnik is a Russian term that loosely translates as "traveler."

universe

space

Question 4 of 30

What did the Americans name their first satellite, which was launched in 1958?

Mercury

Gemini

Explorer 1

The U.S. launched Explorer I in 1958, just a year after Sputnik.

Question 5 of 30

When was NASA founded?

1958

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was founded in 1958, and the first U.S. government agency fully dedicated to space exploration.

1968

1978

Question 6 of 30

Which president signed the order that authorized the formation of NASA?

Roosevelt

Eisenhower

President Dwight Eisenhower signed the order to form NASA in 1958.

Kennedy

Question 7 of 30

What was the name of the first space probe to actually hit the moon?

Sputnik

Explorer

Luna 2

In 1959, the Soviets launched Luna 2, which became the first space probe to actually come in contact with the moon.

Question 8 of 30

Who was the first human to orbit the Earth?

Alan Shepard

John Glenn

Yuri Gagarin

The Soviets won another battle in the race for space when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth in 1961.

Question 9 of 30

What was the name of the vessel that carried Garagin around the Earth?

Luna 3

Sputnik

Vostok 1

Gagarin traveled in Vostok 1, a capsule-like craft.

Question 10 of 30

What did the U.S. call its project aimed at sending man into space?

Mercury

Project Mercury was the code name used to describe the U.S. effort to send man into space. Early Project Mercury experiments used chimps, not humans.

Gemini

Phoenix

Question 11 of 30

Who was the first American in space?

John Glenn

Alan Shepard

Alan Shepard launched into space in May 1961 in Freedom 7, making him the first American in space.

Michael Collins

Question 12 of 30

Which president boldly claimed in 1961 that the U.S. would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade?

Eisenhower

Johnson

Kennedy

Kennedy boldly stated that the United States would land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s — and he was right.

Question 13 of 30

Who was the first American to orbit the Earth?

Alan Shepard

Neil Armstrong

John Glenn

While Alan Shepard was the first American in space, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in February 1962.

Question 14 of 30

What did NASA call its lunar landing program?

Infinity

Apollo

NASA dubbed its lunar landing program Apollo, after the ancient Greek god.

Mercury

Question 15 of 30

What is the name of the imaginary line that separates the Earth's atmosphere from outer space?

Tropic of Cancer

Atmosphere Line

Karman Line

The Karman Line marks the boundaries of Earth's atmosphere and sits at 62 miles (100 km) above the Earth's surface.

Question 16 of 30

Which country was the first to land humans on the moon?

U.S.S.R.

U.S.

The United States achieved the first lunar landing with Apollo 11, launched July 16, 1969.

Question 17 of 30

Which of the following men was NOT aboard Apollo 11 when it landed on the moon?

John Glenn

Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins made up the three-man team that landed on the moon.

Michael Collins

Neil Armstrong

Question 18 of 30

Who was the first man to walk on the moon?

Buzz Aldrin

Michael Collins

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969.

Question 19 of 30

What happened to Yuri Gagarin after his trip into space?

He landed safely on Earth.

Gagarin landed safely and was hailed a hero, but sadly died just seven years later in a plane crash.

No one knows for sure.

His spacecraft exploded.

Question 20 of 30

What type of animal was the first living creature to orbit the Earth?

cat

dog

The U.S.S.R. sent a dog named Laika to orbit the Earth on Sputnik 2, which was launched in November 1957.

chimp

Question 21 of 30

Which side sent the first woman into space?

no woman has traveled into space

U.S.

U.S.S.R.

The U.S.S.R. sent the first woman into space — a parachutist named Valentina Tereshkova — who traveled on Vostok 6 in 1963.

Question 22 of 30

Which side performed the first spacewalk?

U.S.S.R.

U.S.S.R. cosmonaut Alexey Leonov performed the first extravehicular activity — or spacewalk — in 1965.

U.S.

The first spacewalk was a joint effort.

Question 23 of 30

How long did it take Apollo 11 to reach the moon?

109 hours

It took Apollo 11 just 109 hours from launch to the moment Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.

109 days

109 years

Question 24 of 30

How long did Apollo 11 astronauts spend walking on the moon in total?

10 minutes

30 minutes

2.5 hours

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent around 2.5 hours in total walking on the surface of the moon.

Question 25 of 30

When was the first space treaty signed?

1967

The United States, the U.S.S.R. and the United Kingdom signed a space treaty in 1967, where they agreed to keep military activity out of space and limit space travel to peaceful exploration.

1977

1987

Question 26 of 30

Which country experienced the first in-flight space fatality?

U.S.

U.S.S.R.

The U.S.S.R. experienced the first in-flight fatality with the death of Vladimir Komarov aboard Soyuz 1 in 1967.

neither

Question 27 of 30

How many Apollo missions landed on the moon?

1

6

A total of 6 Apollo missions landed on the moon.

12

Question 28 of 30

What year marked the unofficial end of the space race between the US and USSR?

1965

1969

1975

The joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975 marked the end of the space race and the start of collaborative space exploration.

Question 29 of 30

When was the first International Space Station launched?

1978

1988

1998

The ISS was launched in 1998, but wouldn't be occupied until 2000.

Question 30 of 30

What was the name of the vessel that carried the first residents to the ISS?

Expedition I

Expedition I carried a team of astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station in November 2000.